Repeat After Me: Domain Names are NOT Trademarks (but Trademarks Can Be Domains)
Lately, I've had more than one new business owner client tell me they registered a website domain with their company name and, because they were able to do this, then it must not be a registered trademark and available, right? [I direct your attention to the title of this blog post] I can just tack a word onto the front (or back) of someone else's domain and register it, right? A recent situation with a new startup client ran something like this: the founder had selected their company name but had not ever bothered to perform an actual trademark search or "clear" the usage of the name. She subsequently hired my firm to assist with getting their startup formally set up and basic initial documentation and disclosures prepared. At one…
